Tag: Sam Bradford

In Friday’s edition of Back Talk The Podcast we took on the NFL and its abject failure to properly enforce its own rules in the wake of last night’s beating rendered to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Newton and his head were targeted repeatedly by the Denver Broncos defense and yet the officials conveniently overlooked it the entire game. Oh wait, they did call one instance late in the fourth quarter but had the gall to call Newton for intentional grounding as well because his pass didn’t reach the line of scrimmage.

The penalties offset because apparently getting your head beat in is as bad as your pass not reaching the line of scrimmage.

The concussion protocol is important but its far more important for game officials to do their job. The concussion protocol is only the end result of illegal hits and should not be used as a primary means of stopping them. You should of course be concerned but to correct the issue you have to address the source.

It is incumbent on game officials to nip bad behavior in the bud at its inception. They are the gatekeeper through which bad behavior is funneled. It either stops or escalates depending on how the officials handle it. Last night, they failed and the league must address it.

Back Talk took on several issues today including the recent settlement by Fox News to Gretchen Carlson, among others, as well as the departure of Greta Van Susteran. The Fox settlement is significant in so many ways and not just because the monetary amount (reportedly $20 million) is so high.

First, and foremost, the bravery of the many women coming forward to speak on issues such as abuse and harassment should not be underscored nor should it be ignored. It takes a lot to make that decision because you know the repercussions will be swift, sneaky and subtle. These repercussions won’t always be hard to prove. You are exposing yourself, and your career, to a system that is largely unsympathetic and broken. Its a system that puts the victims on trial and dehumanizes her while the alleged perpetrator historically gets excuses and forgiveness.

Second, the solidarity of women across all boundaries is important. Once Carlson filed her lawsuit, many women came forward with support and their own stories as well. As with Bill Cosby, the sheer volume was impossible to ignore. The lessons learned from the Cosby story and the Fox scandal will resonate for years to come. Hopefully, progress and change will come as well.

Last, but certainly not least, Fox News did something virtually unprecedented in its settlement agreement. It admitted liability and pledged to make changes. Typically, settlements come with no admission of guilt even if promises of change are part and parcel of the agreement. The acknowledgement that the allegations of harassment at Fox is wrong and will not be tolerated sends a huge message that women must be treated professionally.

College football has returned and boy is Butch Jones really going to hate us again this year. The Vols nearly laid a stinker and looked out coached and under prepared in their first game Thursday night against Appalachian State. One game does not a season make but that Rocky Top hype isn’t looking so fun anymore now is it?

Army wasn’t very good in 2015 but they rocked the football world by beating Temple Friday night. We talked to Dan Head (@dan_t_head) about the game, the triple option, and Army’s 2 headed quarterback situation. Army has a tough schedule but could be fun to watch this season.

Big news out of the NFL Saturday morning when the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings, who just lost Teddy Bridgewater for the season. How does that affect fantasy football? We chatted with Katie Flower (@FF_Skylar399) about how it affected Adrian Peterson, Stefon Diggs and Ryan Matthews. We also discussed Tajae Sharpe, Demarco Murray, Derrick Henry and the Titans offense.

Back Talk is going to do more Saturday morning podcasts for those who work through the week so that anyone interested can have an opportunity to come on the show. If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, you can hit Sharona up on twitter at @SportsBySharona.